Hinged Stabilizing Fin for Friction-Coupled Couch Cooler Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seating arrangements lack convenient and portable means for storing beverages, bags, and coolers, as modified seating with such features is expensive, heavy, and lacks easy stowability, making them financially and physically impractical for most consumers.
Innovation Solution
A stabilizing fin with hinged flaps and a biasing mechanism that couples a cooler or bag to furniture, providing stability and compatibility, allowing the device to transition between 'couch mode' for temporary attachment and 'transport mode' for uniform content holding, using attachment mechanisms like hooks, loops, or elastic cords.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If seating arrangements are modified to include storage features for beverages and coolers, then convenience of storage is improved, but weight and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention separates the storage function from the seating structure by using an independent cooler that attaches to the seat back. The cooler is a separate module that can be added without modifying the weight of the original seating arrangement, thus improving storage convenience without increasing the weight of the furniture itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a stabilizing fin as an intermediary component that mediates between the cooler and the seating arrangement. This fin provides the necessary support and attachment mechanism, allowing the cooler to be securely mounted without requiring structural modifications to the seat, thereby avoiding additional weight in the furniture.
2Ease of operation
If seating arrangements are modified to include storage features for beverages and coolers, then convenience of storage is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the storage system into separate components: the cooler itself and the stabilizing fin attachment mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently using simple processes, avoiding the need for complex integrated furniture manufacturing, thus reducing overall manufacturing cost while providing convenient storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizing fin acts as an intermediary attachment component that simplifies the manufacturing process. Instead of modifying the furniture structure, the fin provides a simple attachment mechanism that can be easily manufactured and installed, reducing the complexity and cost of creating storage-capable seating arrangements.
3Ease of operation
If a cooler is placed on a couch without support, then ease of placement is improved, but stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizing fin is pre-attached to the cooler before placement on the couch. This preliminary attachment ensures that the cooler is ready for stable placement without requiring additional support structures or complex installation steps, thus maintaining ease of placement while ensuring stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizing fin serves as an intermediary support element between the cooler and the couch cushions. It distributes the cooler's weight and provides anchoring points that prevent tipping, thereby enhancing stability without complicating the placement process.
4Stability of the object's composition
If flaps are made rigid to provide structural support, then stability is improved, but adaptability to different furniture types deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flaps are designed to be flexible rather than rigid, allowing them to adapt to different furniture surfaces and cushion configurations. This dynamic flexibility enables the stabilizing fin to maintain stable attachment across various furniture types while preserving adaptability to different geometries and materials.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides stable and secure attachment of coolers or bags to furniture, preventing tipping and maintaining content uniformity, while being easy to use and manufacture, and compatible with various coolers and bags, enhancing user convenience and reducing costs.
Implementation Method 1
The two cords can be elastic cords
Implementation Method 2
the formed flat fin can be inserted frictionally between the two walls of the furniture
Data Source
AI summary
A stabilizing fin for coupling a cooler to a furniture having two walls, comprising a body having at least two flaps, the flaps having proximal ends and distal ends. The proximal ends of the at least two flaps can be hingedly coupled to each other through a hinged connector. The body may include an attachment mechanism to couple the body to the cooler. The at least two flaps can be folded toward each other over the hinged connector to form a flat fin, wherein the formed flat fin can be inserted frictionally between the two walls of the furniture through the distal ends of the at least two flaps, and wherein a biasing mechanism causes at least one flap of the at least two flaps to exert force against at least one wall of the two walls of the furniture, thereby holding the body and the attached cooler in place.